This FAQ is for network and server administrators. If you are an end-user whose email is being rejected and you’re getting delivery failure notices that cite SpamCop as the reason, please go here for information about what to do.

Dispute Resolutions

IPs are listed when our users and spamtraps receive spam from the IP and the amount of spam meets the listing criteria. See blocklist criteria

A common cause of an IP being listed is a worm/virus/trojan compromised PC on your network sending spam. It may have its own virus installed SMTP engine and be sending direct-to-mx or it may be smarthosting through your mail server. A virus may have installed a proxy or a spammer may be exploiting an existing proxy or cache installed on your server.

Other exploits include insecure cgi/php scripts, SMTP/AUTH name/password hacks and incorrect settings on your server. Misdirected bounces and autoresponders may be sending to the forged “from” addresses in spam inbound to your system.

How to alert SpamCop about an SCBL error

Please do not write us to tell us that you have fixed the problem and ask for early delisting. The IP will delist automatically within 24 hours, if there are no new reports

We will attempt to answer your mail. However, we may not respond if you are not the admin of the listed IP or you are asking for early delisting

IPs are automatically delisted after 24 hours with no new spam reports. You can check to see the time to delisting here. If you see the IP will be delisted in “0” time, that means it has entered into the delisting process. It may take up to 4 hours for the delist to fully propagate to our mirrors and bl users

The SpamCop blocklist lists only IPs that are sending spam; the blocklist does not list email addresses or domain names. It does not list for missing or incorrect DNS/rDNS

If you are the administrator of the listed IP and you do not know why you are listed, please start here to ask us about the listing. Include a description of your relationship to the IP, your name and title and write from your postmaster@ or abuse@ or other role account address. We will provide as much information as we can. Please allow up to one day for a response

If you have received a SpamCop report you are challenging, please use this form to contact us. Include the complete subject line from the report, describe the reason you are disputing the report, any supporting documentation, your name and your title

We can resolve an issue faster if we do not have to ask for additional information. We generally do not need information like copies of whois records, traceroutes, logs, etc. If there is a need to show us a large file, please put it on a webserver and send us the URL for the file

We do not answer mail with profanities or threats. If you threaten legal action, we will have to refer your email to our legal department, which will delay any action we might otherwise have taken

Please do not ask us to make exceptions to our posted policies Reasons to ask for a SCBL listing to be reviewed

There are two main reasons to ask us to review an IP that has been listed:

Technical Errors: a malfunction on the part of a SpamCop server or program that causes an IP to be listed in error. Tell us concisely why the listing should be removed

User Error: occurs when a user mistakenly reports mail that is not spam. When asking us to review a user error, please provide us with any information that will help us determine the mail should not have been reported. This information should include the record of the user’s closed-loop confirmation (also known as “double opt-in”). SpamCop may or may not consider other forms of evidence, at the sole discretion of the SCBL staff. NO WARRANTY OR LIABILITY: By using the SCBL, or any information contained on the SpamCop website, you acknowledge and agree that the SCBL is provided “as is”, SpamCop does not guarantee the effectiveness or results of the SCBL or any other service or product provided by SpamCop, and any and all warranties, implied or otherwise, are expressly excluded. In no event shall SpamCop, or its parent, subsidiaries or licensors, be liable to you or any third party for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, exemplary or consequential damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with your use of the SCBL or the SpamCop website, however caused and on any theory of liability.